| 5 nzdairy Dyslexia no barrier to award winner DAIRY AWARDS » Andrew Hazlett Karen Phelps Dairy Farm Manager of the Year for Otago/ Southland Andrew Hazlett has recently taken out the DeLaval Livestock Management Award at the nationals. The accolades are even more impressive as Andrew has dyslexia and Irlen Syndrome (which causes visual alterations including sensitivity to light and poor adaptation of colour contrasts). The two conditions weren’t diagnosed until Andrew was nearly a teenager and he went from the reading level of a six year old to beyond his real age of 10 years old when he was given the right glasses to manage the Irlen Syndrome. He ran into a trainee at the nationals with the same syndrome and dyslexia affects one in ten New Zealanders meaning the techniques Andrew has learned to successfully do his work on the farm could be valuable for others and the industry as a whole. In fact he is currently passing some of his knowledge on to his second in charge who also has dyslexia. “As an example if it’s an equation I do every day such as feed calculations it’s no problem,” says Andrew. “But if it’s an equation I don’t do often I have it written in a hard copy book. I take a calculator around the farm with me and write things on my phone straight away as otherwise if I looked a cow tag by the time I got back to the office the numbers would be in a completely different order in my head. It’s about working with how my brain naturally works and does things. Technology also helps with Protrack doing a lot of drafting straight from Andrew’s phone to the shed.” Andrew grew up on a dairy farm that his father was managing and started working on it when he was 15. He progressed up the dairy ladder working his way up to his current position on Paul and Rachel Diprose’s 208ha, 570-cow Thornbury property where he is entering his sixth season. The farm is supported by an 80ha run off used for grazing young stock and wintering. Andrew says winning the Livestock Management Award was a huge achievement as it’s the award he values the most as all farming starts with good stock. He is targeting 600kgsMS per cow and is on target to do 561kgsMZ this season. He has been culling the herd for Johne’s Disease and after that will focus on culling the overly big cows that put more food into walking around than producing milk and the smaller cows that will never have the potential to do 600kgsMS. He has also been feeding more grain at certain times of the year, for example 2-3kgs of barley or wheat per cow per day in the shed as well as 19kgs per day in the paddock during mating. The herd is in the top 5% in New Zealand for breeding worth and the top 3% for production worth. Bulls are contract mated to LIC and CRV and the farm currently has the top ranking bull on the CRV national bull team this year called Fred along with another bull called Alpha. Andrew’s wife Hannah works on the farm as well and they have four children: Amber, 14, Mason, 9, Leo, 9 and latest arrival Blake, 17 months. The couple’s aim is to go contract milking soon or to a bigger management position as the next step with the ultimate goal to buy a house and eventually farm ownership. Proudly supporting AndrewHazlett & Paul Diprose AROS CONTRACTING LTD ~Silage Specialists~ call Tony & Janette Carmichael 03 224 6357 or 027 457 2037 Proud to support Andrew Hazlett & Paul Diprose For a friendly, quality service Andrew Hazlett with the Livestock Management Award at the Nationals and the Dairy Manager of the Year award for Otago Southland. P: 027 405 8903 O: 03 225 8807 E: admin@morriscontracting.net.nz A: 119 Scotts Gap Feldwick Road, R D 2, Otautau 9682 ● Full Ground Cultivation Service ● Hay and Baleage Production ● Stacking and Cartage ● Grass Trading ● SI-LAC Silage Inoculant ● Film on Film Option ● Precision Planter & Direct Drill ● 5 Leg Aerator PROVIDING YOU WITH A PERSONAL, TOP QUALITY SERVICE...
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